Take It Back
by poeticgrace
Summary: When Carly shows up at his door and takes back something she said, Jason realizes that it's time that he takes back what has always belonged to him. JARLY.
1. Chapter 1

"So, I take it back."

It was two days since his grandfather had driven into the midway at the fair, a mere forty-eight hours since Jason Morgan had found his son buried in rubble, too many minutes since he had last seen his best friend. The weekend had passed in a blur as he had stood vigil outside Jake's room and then in the beside Edward's door. Sam had been there most of the time, but some time between hearing that Morgan was okay and finding Michael in the corridor checking on Kristina, he had pretty much quit paying attention to the petite brunette. He hadn't really been thinking about much of anything other than what could have happened.

His grandfather could have died if he had just had a little more of the drug from the mayor's wife. His son could have died if he had been hit just a little harder on the head. His godson could have died if Dominic had been just a few seconds later pushing Morgan out of the way. Kristina could have died if she had been in the next car over. So many things could have gone wrong, but somehow, all the people that he loved had been spared. And now, as life slowly started to return to normal, he was only left holding open his penthouse door and gazing up at Carly in the hallway.

"Take what back?" he asked as he moved aside and let her into the apartment. He thanked God silently that Spinelli was out with Maxie for the afternoon working on wedding plans rather than camped out on the couch watching him carefully like he had the past two nights. Jason lifted Carly's coat from her shoulders and draped it over the desk chair before guiding her toward the sofa. He could see the concern written all over her face, even felt the tension as she held his hand tightly. "Carly, what's wrong? Is it Michael? Is the baby okay?"

"He's fine, we're fine," she promised him as she settled back onto the sofa next to him. Jason wrapped his arm around her body automatically and allowed her to snuggle into the crook of his neck. Her soft, steady breath tickled his warm skin, sending unexpected sensations all over his body. "I feel like I haven't seen you for months."

Jason laughed softly. "It's only been three days, Carly, but I know what you mean," he murmured softly as his eyes fell shut. He was exhausted, too tired to deal with whatever Carly had shown up at his door with but had immediately forgotten about as soon as she was in his arms. He was glad that she had abandoned her frantic tone and elected for this calm moment. He just needed to hold her right now and feel tethered to some sense of normalcy. "How's Morgan? I know that he was pretty upset with Dominic in the hospital."

"He's doing better, I think, since we know that Dominic is going to be fine now. He's over at Sonny's spending the day with Michael and Kristina," she explained. She didn't offer up any explanation as to where her husband was and Jason didn't care. He had never been a huge fan of Jax, and his opinion of the blond Aussie had only dropped the longer he stayed married to Carly. He wasn't good enough for his best friend, didn't have the staying power that she deserved. "How are you doing? I talked to Monica when I was at the hospital earlier for my appointment. She said that Edward was doing better."

"Jake is fine, and my grandfather is doing better. That's all I can really ask for."

Carly rolled her eyes slightly at Jason's willingness to compromise. He was likely the most selfless person she was ever going to meet, never taking what he wanted as his own if he thought someone else would be better off. She was the first and one of the biggest examples of that, secondly only to his son. "Jase, I need to talk to you."

Jason growled beneath his breath, earning a sharp look from Carly. "Those words just never mean anything good, Carly," he replied tiredly before turning to face her properly. The seriousness in her eyes stopped him immediately from complaining further. He reached up and brushed his fingertips over her cheek softly. "What is it?" The silence almost scared him. "C'mon, Carly, you know that you can tell me anything. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out, I promise. You just have to tell me so I know what we're dealing with."

She pressed her forehead to his and shook her head slightly. "I'm not in trouble, Jase, I promise," she told him so that he could stop worrying. She had been dreading having this conversation all day and for much of the past ten years before that. "It's just that I was wrong the other day, what I said. I want to take it back."

He shook his head confusedly, both surprised that she was admitting that she was wrong about something and unsure what she was even talking about. "Back up and start at the beginning," he told her, rubbing his hand down her back soothingly. She always did this, worked herself up to the point that she wasn't making sense. "What are you taking back?"

"The other day when I showed up here and found you with Sam, I started freaking out. I didn't want to see you go through that again and end up with the same result. And then I thought, what right do I have to be jealous? I'm married and having another man's baby. I thought that I could make myself be okay with it, you know? She could be good for you, in theory. It's just that..."

"She's not you," Jason finished knowingly before daring to meet her eyes. That had always been the problem – with Courtney, with Sam, with Elizabeth. They all should have worked in theory, but in the end, none of those relationships would endure because they weren't Carly. They weren't his best friend, the one woman in this world who loved him no matter what and the only person that he had never once given up on. "Carly, Sam and I are just...I don't know."

"I know it's not fair, Jase. I know that you and I have been over way longer than we were even together. I keep thinking that it will get easier, that I will stop being jealous. I just don't..." Jason could see the telltale sign of tears sparkling in the corners of her blue eyes as her bottom lip quivered. "I don't want you to love anyone the way that you love me."

"Not even possible," he assured her instantly, cradling her body close to him. It was all happening fast, coming on in an overwhelming rush of repressed emotions. "You might not be able to go on those adventures with me, Carly, but it doesn't mean that you're not still the one I want by my side. Maybe Sam and I are compatible on paper, but I've never really lived my life with the 'should be.' I don't know, maybe my idea of an adventure should change. Your life took a different direction. Who says mine can't follow?"

This was all Carly had ever dreamt about, hearing Jason open his heart and say the things that he was afraid to say to her at 24. "I gave you all that advice the other day."

"And I heard it," he assured her. He had heard every single word and taken them all into account. That was why he had asked Sam to the carnival after all. He had to know for sure, and after the accident, it had only become that much clearer to him. He could have lost so much that day, and even one of those losses would have wrecked him. Knowing that he could have been hurt even emotionally from that day would have destroyed Carly. He was still lying to her about being shot in Mexico, and the guilt from that was enough to deal with. "I really did, Carly. It was good advice, maybe the best you ever gave me. The thing is, the part that you got wrong, was that it wasn't Sam that I should be trying so hard to make happy. It's you."

She looked up at him with wide eyes mixed with disbelief and joy. He could find an entire world of wonder in those blue orbs and never get tired of discovering new life mysteries in her gaze. "Carly, I mean it," he emphasized. He had to make this time count. "The last three days have been crazy, and you know what the first thing I thought about when I saw that car heading toward the midway? I had to know where you were. Then, Jake got buried and I was distracted, but I didn't really breathe easy until Sonny told me that you had taken Morgan home. If something had happened to him, to you...I wasn't there."

"You were where you were supposed to be," she shook her head dismissively. "I am not going to let you feel guilty for that. I know that you think you have to always be the one to save us, but your son needed you. You weren't even there."

"That's the point."

"No, Jase, you are not to blame for this," she repeated. "That's ridiculous. What if you had been the one to get hit instead of Dominic? Do you know what that would have done to me? I would have been happy that Morgan was safe but devastated if I had to worry about you. I know you would have saved Morgan, but I'm really glad that you weren't there to get hit by the car. It would have been even worse for Edward, anyhow. Stop thinking like that."

He had promised her a long time ago that he would always be there to take care of her, to protect the boys, to be the one that kept them together. He liked that role, felt comfortable with being her hero. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone else taking his place and had secretly been overjoyed when he realized that Jax would never hold that spot for her. It was something that was only his, much like his heart only ever truly belonged to her.

"I love you, Carly."

It was brazen to say it so plainly, but it was really how he felt. How he had always felt and would always feel.

"Jase," she muttered as she turned her head and buried it in his shoulder. He rarely said it, only when something was seriously wrong. Now, that he was offering the words up so easily, it was harder for her to return the sentiment. She couldn't get it wrong this time. "You know that I've always..."

"I know," he retorted as he tucked his finger beneath her chin and lifted it slightly. "I know you. I know your sounds and your looks and your moods, and I love all of them. Even when you have that destructive glint in your eye that means you're going to hurt yourself more than anyone else."

A part of her wanted to be reasonable, tell Jason that her hormones were just running rampant and his emotions were just out of whack. It would make it all so much easier to process if could explain it off that way. However, there was no doing that when he was looking at her that way. "I'm married."

"I know, I know, I know," he sighed as he raked his free hand through his hair. He was very aware that Carly was still married to Jax. They had danced at their wedding. He had danced with Carly too many times at weddings that weren't theirs. "I know, and I don't care."

"And I'm having a baby in a month..."

"I'll love her just like I love Michael and Morgan," he vowed. "Just like I love Jake. C'mon, Carly, you're the one who came here today, and now I'm the one who is doing all the talking. I know that you feel the same way that I do, you always have. We were scared for so long. I don't want to be afraid anymore, not with you. Just tell me..."

Carly stopped him short with an insistent kiss, her pregnant belly the only wedge between him. His fingers tangled in her hair as she tilted her head to give him better access. "God, Jase, I love you so much," she whispered against his lips. "I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

Jasper Jacks was slightly confused. Every Thursday afternoon for the past three months, he had met Carly in the small waiting outside Dr. Lee's office just before her weekly appointment to check on the baby's progress. However, when he had arrived a few minutes later after a conference call with Hong Kong went over, he was promptly shut out from coming inside the examination room with his wife by a slightly embarrassed nurse with bright red hair. "I"m sorry, Mr. Jacks," the young woman had apologized politely before shutting the door to Carly's private room in his face. Now, twenty minutes later, with the morning paper spread uselessly over his lap, he was no closer to having it all figured out.

"I'm sorry, Jax," Dr. Lee apologized as she came into the waiting room, a clipboard resting on her hip. "Carly needed to have a few invasive exams done this afternoon, and she didn't feel much like an audience. You can come on back now."

Jax nodded kindly and followed the obstetrician back toward where Carly was waiting in an office. She was already redressed in her sky blue maternity dressed, a familiar black leather jacket wrapped around her bare shoulders. "Sorry I was late," he whispered into his wife's ear as he slipped into the seat next to her. She smiled at him and shook her head dismissively before reaching over to pat his forearm. "What kind of tests was Carly having done? Is everything okay with the baby?"

Carly bit her tongue as she listened to her husband's question. This was his first child, and she knew that it was only natural for him to ask about their child. She would be upset if he didn't show concern for the baby. However, she couldn't help but notice that not only was his first question about the baby, it was the only one that he asked. He didn't ask if she was going to be okay, not like Jason or even Sonny would. No, his only focus was on the baby. She could finally see how Michael must have felt all these months as Jax constantly put his unborn child above everything else. It wasn't that she was willing to risk the baby's life. If anything, she had done everything in her power to protect her little girl. It was just that she was still woman and supposed to be his wife. It would be nice if he remembered that once in awhile.

"Everything appears to be fine with Carly and the baby," Kelly confirmed. "It's just standard procedure given Carly's situation at this stage in her pregnancy. I am confident that these test results will reflect what I saw in her examination. As long as Carly continues to do what she has been doing, especially this past week, I am fully confident that she will deliver a beautiful and healthy little girl."

She reached for her husband's hand automatically and held it over her stomach proudly. Carly knew that she had to play the part for the time being, the doting and perfectly happy wife and mother-to-be. Jax didn't need to know that her best friend was what had kept her so calm and overjoyed over the last week. She didn't want to share it with him or with anyone really. It was still a secret that she shared only with Jason, one of many silent vows they'd whispered over the past seven days. He would find time to sneak away from work and call her at home, his voice instantly connecting to her via cell phone. He had been by when his schedule would allow and Jax wasn't home. They had even shared a private dinner with the boys at Kelly's two days ago.

However, she knew that she was taking a small risk now, wearing Jason's coat for everyone to see. Most people wouldn't think much of her best friend dropping her off at her doctor's appointment after a very public lunch in the Metrocourt dining room. Still, she had seen the envious glint in Jax's eyes when he had noticed the leather jacket. She didn't really care. She wanted Jason with her all the time, and until that could be a reality, this was just going to have to do.

"I just want Carly to keep doing what she is doing, eating healthy and getting plenty of rest. I will remind you that it's important that she avoids stress, but it appears that she seems to be doing pretty well at doing that all on her own," Kelly complimented the blonde. "I will want to see you at the same time next week. Unless you have any other questions, you are free to go."

"Thanks, Dr. Lee," Carly smiled brightly as she rose to shake her doctor's hand. Jax followed her action before leading her out of the office and down the hallway. She allowed her husband to rest his hand on the small of her back, even though her skin was crawling to push him away. Every time he touched her now felt like another deception to Jason. They had agreed to keep up the act until the situation could be changed. Just as Jax leaned over to whisper something in her ear, her mind flashed back to three nights ago when she had managed to sneak out to the garden for a midnight walk.

"_Carly, over here!" Jason whispered harshly, the faint glow of his cell phone the only illumination in the dark black sky. She had been trailed to this point by a lone, faithful guard, a nameless man who had seemingly disappeared as soon as she was near Jason. Carly took off into a slow sprint, flying into his arms as he caught her. Jason pressed a kiss to her mouth hungrily, an emptiness finally fulfilled after missing her all day. "God, I missed you."_

"_Oh, Jase," she giggled girlishly, surprised at her own voice. Jason pulled away and slid his arm around her waist, pulling him near to her as they started to wander further away from the house she still shared with her husband. "I'm sorry that I couldn't get away earlier."_

"_I hate that we have to sneak around like this," he lamented. His fingertips brushed the side of her stomach and rubbed the stretched skin gently. "Soon enough, though, right?"_

"_You say the word, Jason, and you know that I will come straight to you," she reminded him. It was difficult for both of them how difficult things were right now, but she believed Jason when he told her that they just needed to wait a little bit longer. She could do it if it meant having him for the rest of her life. "I can't wait to hear you say it."_

"_Any day now, Carly," he promised as he bent to whisper into her ear. He ghosted a kiss over her lobe before pressing another behind it. "Any day."_

The promise of any day stayed on her mind as she returned back to reality and back to a husband asking what she wanted for dinner. She faintly remembered that Olivia was supposed to come by and talk about hotel business. Carly usually looked forward to having the brunette over for some much-needed conversation, but she knew that she couldn't share this with her. Olivia was first and foremost loyal to Jax, and she knew that she couldn't possibly understand why she was lying to Jason when she was pregnant with Jax's baby.

"I'm not really hungry, I had a late lunch."

"Carly, you need to eat," Jax reminded her.

"I'm aware of that, Jax," she snapped. "I'm not a child that needs to be told what to eat and when to eat it. I am perfectly capable of making the right dietary choices for myself and my daughter."

He was caught slightly off guard by her accusatory tone but tried to brush it off. He knew that her hormones were raging and that it was tiresome the way he seemed to hover over her. He just worried constantly about the health of his daughter and his wife. Pressing the button for the elevator, he took a deep breath and decided to try a different approach. "I'm sorry that I was late."

"It doesn't matter," she smiled. He thought it was genuine and maybe everything was forgotten. Her mood swings were unpredictable these days. Carly used that to her advantage whenever she got upset at him for the mere fact that he wasn't Jason. Raking her fingers through her hair, she wanted to recoil when Jax reached for her hand to pull her into the elevator. Instead, she held his hand loosely and remembered the ride up before her appointment.

"_You know this is dangerous, right?"_

_Carly arched a perfectly plucked brow at Jason and smirked. "It's been months since I have gotten to experience any danger, so if I want to hold your hand in this elevator with the risk of getting caught, I am going to hold it."_

_Jason knew that he should chastise her and remind her what she was risking, but really, he was just happy to be holding her hand in a normal place like an elevator rather than sneaking around. They were two of the most well-known people in all of Port Charles, so it was unlikely that they would come across anyone at the hospital who wasn't fully aware of who they were. With his mugshot constantly splashed across the nightly news and her string of marriages making for very colorful fodder in the local gossip rag, their anonymity had gone by the wayside years ago._

"_You look beautiful."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Yeah," he confirmed, tightening their clasped hands. "I've always thought you were the most beautiful when you were pregnant. I remember how much you glowed when you were pregnant with Michael, and I thought that I would never see you look prettier. And then I saw you the day that you found out you were going to have Morgan, and the thought of that still takes my breath away. But this time...I don't know, it's just so much more."_

"_I'm not just happy about my pregnancy this time."_

"_Oh, really?" he feigned surprise. "Any particular reason?"_

"_Just one," she grinned, squeezing his hand one last time before dropping it just as the elevator doors opened_.

"Carly?"

She shook her head and forced herself out of the happy daze that was her daydream. The elevator paused as a pair of nurses stepped off the list and a doctor got back on. Carly smiled at the older man politely but remained quiet. She was still trying to listen to her husband when her BlackBerry buzzed from inside her clutch. Without breaking her gaze off the illuminated numbers above the door, she slid it from her bag and saw the message from Jason, _Meet me at home in 30 minutes. Love _you. She leaned forward impulsively and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

"Listen, I know that you have a few more things you need to take care of at the office. Why don't you do that and then meet me at home for dinner? If you get everything finished, you can just focus on the family tonight. I'll just visit with my mom and then meet you at home."

Jax glanced at his watch and did the math. If he put in a few hours, he would be able to wrap up that Sydney merger and likely spare having to go into the office tomorrow. "If you're sure..."

"Of course," she smiled happily. The elevator stopped and dinged the announcement of the fifth floor. She kissed her husband softly and reminded him to call her when he was on his way home. Carly didn't even bother to wait for the doors to shut before she took off seemingly in search of her mother. Instead, she found her way to a private staff elevator and took it directly down to the garage where she knew a car would be waiting. One of Jason's drivers nodded at her silently as he opened the door to the black town car and headed off across town.

Ten minutes later, she was making her way up a gated driveway on the outskirts of town, tucked back in the woods where few people even knew the home existed. It was a small bungalow in Brenda's name, likely the only positive thing that woman had ever done for Carly. She had agreed to lease it in her name for Jason a few years ago without asking why.

"Jase!" she called as she scurried up the pathway and into the already open front door. Her eyes found him instantly, resting on the only piece of furniture in the spacious living room. It was a dark red couch, one that she had pointed out in Wyndham's one morning and he had delivered that same afternoon. A single white sheet rested over the fabric, keeping it protected from dust bunnies. There was also a record player and a stack of records in the corner. Otis Redding was singing a scratchy soulful love song. "Hey."

Carly collapsed onto the couch next to him and fell easily into his embrace. "How'd your thing go?"

"Fine, but let's not talk about it, okay?"

"Whatever you want," he agreed, tilting her chin to greet her with a slow kiss hello. "So, I was thinking."

"About..."

"Well, the future," he said uncertainly. Jason had never really let himself plan too far ahead or believe that he would have a future. He thought his life would be centered on the mob and full of lonely nights. "I know that we really haven't talked about what comes next, but I want you to know that something does come after this."

"I know, Jase," she assured him. She sighed tiredly as she tucked herself into his arm. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, further exemplifying the perfect way they'd always fit together. "I was mad at Jax for being there. Isn't that awful? I resented him for wanting to be there for his child."

"It's not that," he told her softly. "You just wanted me there with you."

"I always want you there with me."

"I always want to be there with you," he avowed. "And I am, always, no matter what."

Carly leaned back as Jason just began to talk about their future together. He talked about the trips they would take and the house he wanted to build. He talked about making sure there was room for the boys and her little girl and Spinelli and even Maxie. He talked about telling his mother and maybe spending more time with Monica. He talked and talked and talked. The comforting lull of his soft voice was enough to draw her into a light sleep and by the time that Jason looked down at her again, she was snoozing lightly on his shoulder. Jason knew that he should wake her and send her home, but he couldn't bear to send her out of his arms. So, instead, he turned them both so they were lying on the couch and pulled the sheet up over their entwined bodies. They had a whole future ahead of them, but Jason was content for now to just have tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

One of Carly's favorite things about having children had always been the sounds they brought to her home. When Michael was a baby and they lived with Jason in the penthouse, she used to love waking up in the middle of the night to hear the soft footsteps as he walked up and down the hallway in an attempt to soothe a wailing infant. By the time that Morgan came, she used to love hearing his little giggle whenever Michael would make funny faces to entertain him over the edge of the crib. As they grew older, her home had been filled by the sounds of their laughter, their fights and their tears. For so long, she had known that all those sounds were missing one thing – the perfect intermingling of a little girl. Now that she was just weeks away from finally having her little girl, the missing sound still wouldn't seem to go away.

Jax was away on business again, supposedly his last trip to Sydney before she gave birth. He had probably expected an argument when she had said goodbye dutifully at the airport gate, but Carly had simply kissed her husband chastely on the cheek and waved along side the boys. The truth was that she was glad for his departure, happy to have a week where she didn't have to sneak around to spend time with Jason. Morgan and Michael were spending the weekend with Bobbie since Lucas was in town, and she was looking forward to spending the weekend at Jason's penthouse. Even Maxie and Spinelli were going to be gone for a few days to visit his grandmother in Tennessee. Things couldn't have been more perfect.

Carly leaned back against her headboard as the crashing sound of the boys coming upstairs awoke her from her dreamy state. "Mom, tell Michael that he has to drive me over to Molly's!" Morgan whined as he burst into her room without knocking. She smiled at her youngest son, noting not for the first time how much he was like her. Michael was a few steps behind, clearly exasperated by his brother's appeal to their mother.

"Mom, I'm already running late to meet Kristina," Michael said pointedly, flipping his key ring over his index finger impatiently like his father. He was more like Sonny every day, in both the best way and the worst way possible. "Milo said that he would run him over there."

Resting her hands on her stomach, Carly looked from her blonde son to her brunette one. "Morgan, I am going to have Milo run you over to see Molly," she decided. "But Michael will pick you up from there on his way home. I think it's a fair compromise."

"Fine," they mumbled in unison, knowing that they weren't really allowed to disagree given their mother's touchy state. She knew that they were both counting the days until life could return to normal. She wasn't sure what that normal life was going to look like anymore. She had already turned their worlds upside down so many times, but she had to believe that they could get through one more shakeup. Jason meant to much to her and their family for it not to work.

"Thank you for agreeing to that," she told Michael as he leaned over to kiss his mother goodbye. "Grandma Bobbie is going to expect you guys for dinner. Lucas is home, and I know that he can't wait to hang out with his favorite nephews."

Michael rolled his eyes. He was more of an equal to his uncle than Morgan. While he had looked up to Lucas somewhat when they were much younger, now he was just someone else to hang out with during family dinners. "Whatever, Mom, we'll be back Sunday afternoon. Dad is going to pick us up for breakfast with Kristina. I'll make sure that we call you tomorrow."

"I love you both," she said as she hugged Morgan and Michael shuffled his younger brother out of the room. She listened long enough to hear Milo talking to Morgan about the baseball game and Michael reminding him that he would be by Alexis' house around six. When she was sure that they were both gone, she fished her BlackBerry out of her nightstand drawer and checked her messages. There were a few from Jax that went ignored along with one from Olivia about some hotel business. After tapping out a quick reply to her husband's assistant, she placed a call to the only person she planned on talking to for the next three days.

It took only ten minutes for Jason to show up at her door. He found her upstairs on her bed, wrapped up in his leather coat and a gauzy white sun dress. It was unseasonably warm for October in upstate New York, but she looked every bit his perfect dream girl. "Damn, look at you," he mused softly as he stood in the doorway. Carly looked up from the book in her lap, her entire face lighting up at the mere sight of his crystal blue eyes. "I missed you."

"You just saw me last night," she smiled as she crawled off the bed and waddled over to his open arms. She should have felt completely unsexy eight months pregnant with swollen feet, but one look in his eyes made her feel completely wanted. "I guess it doesn't really matter, though, huh? I kinda missed you, too."

"Do I really get you to myself for three days?"

"Longer if you want," she whispered, burying her head in his chest. Every time they are together, it becomes that much harder for her to leave him. They had both decided that she needed to get through the pregnancy before she made any real decisions. Jason feared that Jax would fight with her, putting both Carly and the baby at risk. "Jase, take me home."

He didn't even bother grabbing the bag in the corner as he whisked her off the feet and carried her down the stairs. One of Sonny's soldiers was waiting behind the wheel of the sleek black limo, but Carly couldn't tell which one through the darkly tinted windows. Once they were settled together in the backseat, he looked over at her questioningly. "Home?"

"You know what I was thinking about earlier?"

"I couldn't even begin to guess."

"I was thinking about how much I loved living at the penthouse with you right after Michael was born. Even when Robin was still living there, it was the first time I ever really felt like I had a family. I remembered how I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear you around with him. I think I loved the sound of your voice as much as he did."

Jason often longed for moments like those that he had missed out on with his own son. He had been a good father – a great father – to Michael when he hadn't really known how to love anyone. However, he had learned easily and fallen into the role like a true natural. Thinking about that left him feeling a little guilty. Lucky had those moments with Jake, and now, he was in the position to take those moments away from Jax. It was bad enough that he was going to walk away with the woman that they both loved. He couldn't be the man that took a little girl away from her father.

"Jax deserves to have those moments."

She looked up at him suddenly, clearly shocked by his declaration. "He will have those moments. I know you, Jase, you would never try to replace Jax's role as this baby's father. You are not Lucky, and I am not Elizabeth. There is enough room in my daughter's life to have both men who are going to love her. Whether I stayed married to Jax or not, you were always going to a huge part of her life. I'm not going to stay with him because of what happened with Jake. This is a whole different situation."

"I'm still a threat to your daughter."

"Jason, I'm not going to walk away from you. I haven't yet, not after what happened to Michael or any of it. I trust you more than anyone and anything in the world. I know that you will protect this little girl and keep her safe."

Pressing his forehead to Carly's, he leaned in anxiously to steal a fleeting kiss. No one should be this lucky, but Jason Morgan had lucked out in the family lottery. Even when he doubted himself, he knew that he would always have Carly to believe in him. "Thank you for that."

Carly took his hand and pressed it over his heart. "Thank you for that."

"So how much longer do I have to wait?"

"We need to talk about that," she replied as the car stopped at a red light. Carly looked over to the sidewalk to see two normal parents pushing a stroller down the shady path. She would never have something like that with Jason, no matter how long they were together. There would always be a gun hidden in his waistband, a pair of guards trailing behind or an armored wall to protect them. Still, they had their own kind of normal and that was all she had ever wanted. "I don't want to go home to Jax."

He hadn't expected that. Jason had prepared himself for waiting a few weeks at least before figuring out anything more. "Carly, are you sure?"

"I love you, Jase," she nodded confidently. "This little girl is a chance at a new life."

Raking his fingers through his dirty blonde hair, Jason felt more than he could have ever expected. "Baby, I am going to give you that new life, I promise," he whispered as he hugged her tightly. "But I can't bring you to the penthouse. I won't do that with the boys and your little girl. We have to figure out something else."

"I still have the cottage..."

"You shared that house with Jax. I just don't want us to live with any ghosts."

"So?"

"So we are going to live in the house like we talked about. I am going to have it ready by the time that you have the baby. I want you to pick out colors for the nursery and linens for our bedroom. I'll have a designer work with the boys and get the apartment set up downstairs for Maxie and Spinelli. Everything that we need to make that house a home – I am going to take care of it all."

"Who would've thought it?"

"Thought what?"

"That Jason Morgan, the perennial bachelor and feared mobster, would want a house full of kids and a woman to tie him down," she grinned. "When I first met you at Jake's, I never thought I would see you past the next morning. Now, you are committed to being a father to my children and being with me for the rest of my life."

Jason brushed a kiss to her forehead. "I can't think of anything else I would rather do in the entire world," he promised her. "You gave me so much when you agreed to let me be apart of your family. I love having the kids around just as much as I love having you. As loud as Maxie is, I feel lonely whenever she's not here. She makes Spinelli happy, and I care about that kid more than I ever thought possible. It's loud and chaotic, but I love my life with you."

"Okay, good, because I am about to ask something pretty big from you..."

"Carly."

"Just listen."

He looked at her and rolled his eyes in typical Jason fashion. "Fine."

"I want to tell Jax when he gets back from Australia."

"Carly, no."

"Jase..."

"No, I am not going to risk you two getting into a fight."

"I'm not worried about what he might do to me."

"I could take him, Carly," he laughed humorlessly.

She shook her head with a wry smile. "Trust me, I'm aware," she assured him. "I'm actually more worried about what you would do to him. He might say something out of anger."

"You're not allowed to get stressed."

"Living a lie isn't exactly easy," she pointed out. "You can either be there or I can do this alone."

"Your mommy is stubborn," Jason whispered to her stomach before placing a kiss on her rounded abdomen. "You know there is no way I am letting you do this alone."

"Good, then it's settled."

"How did you just talk me into that?"

"How do I ever do it, Jase?" she grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

"Look at what I found in the airport in Sydney!" Jax called as he came into the grand foyer of his palatial home, the dream house that he had spent the past year building for his growing family. More than the hotel or any other property in his impressive portfolio, he appreciated the feeling of pride that swelled in his chest every time he came home. This place represented more than the financial success he had in his life. It was the first time he had really built a home with anyone since losing Brenda and the only home he'd ever had other than the one he'd grown up in.

Juggling a stack of wrapped parcels and shopping bags, Jax made his way into the living room to share his finds with his wife and their sons. While he hadn't left Port Charles on the best terms with Carly, he hoped that the distance and time apart would help her get past everything that had happened the night he left. What he didn't expect was to find his wife on the couch in another man's arms, her head resting on his shoulder while they both slept. A part of him wanted to believe that it was just two best friends comforting each other, but he knew better in his heart of hearts. He had always known that Carly's relationship with Jason was anything but platonic. He had just chosen to believe that she loved Jax enough now to choose their family first.

"What's going on here?" he asked, clearing his throat. Carly's blue eyes slid open as Jason shifted her uncomfortably off his shoulder and stretched his right arm. However, his hand quickly fell back to Carly's lap, clutching her hand tightly. It wasn't a typical Morgan move and that left Jax disjointed. He was coming home to an entirely different version of his life than when he had left Port Charles. "I left town to work on a deal, and I come home to this...What is this?"

Jason knew that he should probably let Carly fight her own battles. He could only imagine the anger that Jax probably felt. He knew firsthand how hard it was to find the woman he loved in the arms of another man. He also knew that he wasn't about to let her go a second time to someone else that didn't deserve Carly. "I guess you shouldn't have left your pregnant wife for a business deal halfway across the world," he shrugged casually. His voice wasn't cold like it usually was. Instead, he seemed perfectly relaxed and totally at piece. It was a little jarring to Jax, even beneath the white anger burning behind his eyes.

"Carly..."

She looked up at him and shook her head sadly. "Come on, Jax, you know what this is. You know that it doesn't matter if you were in Australia or not," she spoke softly. She almost sounded apologetic but not enough to care. Not enough to change anything. This wasn't how she planned on telling Jax, but there were no words to explain this away. She was angry at him for a lot of things, but no one deserved the way this was going to break his heart. "The papers have already been filed. Diane will send them over to Alexis in the morning. We will work out a custody agreement that will be amicable for us both. You can have the house. We'll dissolve the adoption. It can be quick and easy. It doesn't have to get messy."

Jax looked at his wife incredulously. He couldn't believe how cold and unaffected her voice sounded. She was so businesslike as she outlined the dissolution of their marriage – their life together. "If you think for one minute I am going to let you raise _my daughter_ in a house with that man, you have the fight of a lifetime on your hands," he threatened her. "You don't get to ruin our lives and decide how this is going to work. I love Michael and Morgan. There isn't anything easy about what you are doing. How could you do this to our family?"

Jason started to speak up, but Carly laid her hand gently on his forearm. "Jax, we both know that things are going to fall in my favor, one way or another. You can make this hard on yourself or you can agree to reasonable terms concerning_ our_ daughter. As for my boys, you're not their father. The reason you adopted them was only for their own safety. Sonny is their father, just like you are our child's father," she reminded him evenly. Her voice was strong and confident, sure and absolute. "You don't get to decide what I do with my life anymore. I wish I could tell you that I'm sorry, but the truth is that I'm not."

"Bitch."

The single curse word hissed between clinched teeth caused Jason to disentangle himself from Carly and grab the Aussie by his throat. Jason hauled him out of the room, his angry silence bouncing off the walls as he led the other man to the front door. "Come back in two hours, Carly and the boys will be gone. Do not talk to her. If you want to know how she is doing or if you have any questions, you can talk to Alexis," he spat angrily. "Look, I don't know exactly what you are hiding from Carly about your brother, but I know that there is something. When I find out what it is, I will do everything in my power to bring you down. I am done letting you hurt her."

"And what about you, Jason?" Jax asked with a raised eyebrow. "How long are you going to keep hurting her? Because if you realize it or not, your life is going to hurt her. It's already hurt one of her sons. What about Morgan? I won't let you do to my little girl what you have done to those boys. I will bring you down one way or another."

Jason shook his head. "You can try but what good is that going to do?" he asked pointedly. "Do you think that Carly is going to come back to you then? She'll never forgive you for even trying. Her only comfort is going to be how pathetically you will fail. And you will fail and she'll hate you for it. You're just going to keep hurting her, perpetuating the situation and making it worse. Don't pin that on me. I would never do that to Carly."

"Are you kidding me?" Jax scoffed incredulously. "You're the reason that Carly got wrapped up in this life in the first place. It wasn't bad enough that you agreed to raise your brother's child as your own. You actually encouraged her to marry Sonny. You perpetuated the cycle of violence in her life. If it wasn't for you, she probably wouldn't have had to watch her son lose a year of his life because of some senseless act of violence against his father."

"Don't you dare blame this on Jason!" Carly hissed evenly from the doorway. She pointed her finger at him angrily as she crossed the foyer to where Jax stood before the open door. "Don't you dare sit there on your high horse and pretend to be better than him. Jason is not the reason that I ended up making my choices, and he is not the reason that Michael got shot. You want to blame someone for those things, you can blame me. I walked into that life willingly, and despite how crazy everyone might think, I would choose Jason all over again."

"You are not going to choose him for our daughter."

Carly shook her head sadly as she looked up at him. "You say that like you think you're going to get a choice in all of this, Jax. I mean, if it comes down to you trying to take my daughter all away, you know that I could always just sort of disappear. My advice is that you find a way to deal with this that doesn't revolve around threatening me. Now, if you will excuse me, we are going to finish packing up my things. You can come back and take the house tomorrow. We should be out by then."

"And what about my kids?"

"You mean my kids?" Carly asked him pointedly. "Because that's what Michael and Morgan are – my kids. You don't get any say in their lives. That's up to me. As for my little girl, we will come to an agreement just like I have with Sonny about Michael and Morgan. Diane will be in touch with Alexis."

"Uh, what about that adoption agreement I signed last year?" Jax shot back. "I'm pretty sure that means that I get a say in their lives."

"Funny thing about that," Jason piped up. "It seems that the courts had to reverse that. Sonny's paternal rights have been fully restored. Damnedest thing too, I somehow got named as their tertiary custodian in case something should happen. I guess that makes you completely out of the loop, huh?"

Jax opened his mouth wide before snapping it shut again. He was so angry that he could only see the white fire blazing behind his crystal blue eyes. Carly smiled smugly as he stalked out of the door, welcoming the heavy thud as it slammed shut behind him. "Well, now that that's taken care of, can we get back to packing?"

"Carly, you can't fight with him. You need to stay at your best for your daughter."

"I don't have to fight with him anymore, Jase," she rolled her eyes. "I've said everything that I needed to say to him, but the most important thing that I had to say to him was that I wasn't going to back down. The only way I would walk away from you is for my children, but I know that would never be the right choice. I'm not just fighting to get away from Jax. I've just found my way back to you. Loving you is the thing I've always been best at in the world."

Jason took a few steps to where Carly was leaning against the banister and wrapped his arms around her. With only her pregnant belly between them, she managed to angle her head so that she could rest her chin on his shoulder. Dropping a kiss atop her head, he breathed in her scent and reveled in her fierce spirit. "You are so amazing."

"Well, yeah, but you can tell me some more if you want to," she giggled almost girlishly. She felt Jason's phone vibrate from inside his leather jacket. "Do you need to get that?"

"It's just work, probably Sonny," he said dismissively. "It can wait. This is what is important."

"When did you get like this?" she smiled as he pressed his forehead to hers. Work had always come first for Sonny and Jason, but having her now seemed to change everything.

He shrugged slightly without pulling away from her. The truth was that he had been thinking about making some changes for a long time before he got with Carly. Having her and the kids to take into account only cemented what he wanted his life to be. "Maybe it's not worth risking everything for when you finally have everything," he confessed. "Maybe it's time that we make some changes."

"I thought that was what we were doing here," she lamented. "What else is there?"

Jason tangled his fingers in her golden tresses and cradled her to him. "There's this," he said, waving his hand around in the air. "I want this every day with you. I can't do that living the life that I have lived. You and the boys and this little girl, if you will have me, I want to build a life with you. Carly, Jax said a lot of wrong things tonight, but he did say something that's worth considering. I don't want to raise your daughter in the same world that Michael and Morgan have been exposed to over the years. Morgan is still young enough that maybe there's a chance that this won't touch him. But for Michael, we both know how this life has hurt him. I don't want to do that to your little girl. Maybe it's time that Sonny and I consider making some changes."

"Don't do that for me, Jase," she retorted. "I love you for you. I don't need you to change for me."

Pressing his palm tenderly to her cheek, he shook his head. "It wouldn't be for you, Carly," he told her honestly. "It'd be for us."


	5. Chapter 5

So much had happened since that day when Jason had promised that he was going to rededicate his life to building a life with Carly. He could have never foreseen the truth finally coming out about Claudia at the worst possible moment. He couldn't have predicted that his mentor would slowly unhinge and berate his wife in front of a crowd of people, only to have Claudia take Carly hostage at gunpoint. There was no way he could have guessed that Michael would be the one to find his mother in the cabin moments after giving birth to her daughter or that he would be the one to ultimately kill Claudia when she tried to kidnap the baby. If he had seen even one of those things coming, he wouldn't have promised to walk away from the very life that had defined him since waking up in a hospital bed nearly 15 years ago after a life-altering accident. He's not really sure what he would have done differently. He just didn't think that he would have ended up here.

Carly was asleep now at his feet, her body contorted oddly as she dozed on the sofa. Her daughter – _their_ daughter, as she always insisted – was snoring softly from the white wicker bassinet nearby. He could hear Morgan upstairs laughing with Michael while they played a video game. It was an eerily normal Tuesday night for their little family, a rarity in the chaos that had personified the past few weeks. Carly had only just now gotten to where she could sleep more than an hour or two before waking up screaming our for her little girl. Her nightmares were still a nightly occurrence, almost clockwork like Jaycee's feedings or Morgan's inevitable request for a glass of water just after midnight. Jason had found her more than once curled up asleep in the rocking chair in the nursery, holding vigil over the sleeping infant just for peace of mind.

With every day that passed and every nightmare that Carly endured, Jason felt himself growing guiltier and guiltier for not being able to stop Claudia earlier. Carly had been able to easily forgive him for holding the secret from her for so long, even though he still saw the flash of disappointment in her blue eyes whenever either of them brought up the subject. She had been much harder on Jax for his firsthand proof of Claudia and Jerry's part in the shooting, giving them the proverbial nail for the coffin that was their marriage. He had tried briefly to contest the dissolution of their marriage, but even Alexis had told him to give it up. Diane and Alexis were working hard to finalize the details of their divorce and the custody agreement, taking one stress off Carly's very heavy shoulders.

Still, despite her forgiveness, Jason felt responsible for letting things spiral out of control the way they had. He had tried to warn Sonny repeatedly, but the mob boss had refused to listen to him. Jason was angry at the man for ever putting Carly in a situation where she could have been harmed. If he had only taken a moment to think, Sonny would have been able to see that Claudia was teetering on the brink of insanity. He tried not to blame Sonny. It's hard to say how anyone would have reacted in that situation. It was only natural to hold him partly responsible, however, just like he held himself partly to blame. They were working through it, and her forgiveness had been the first big step in what he would knew would be a long road to forgiving himself.

"Hey there," Carly called softly as she sat up and snuggled into his shoulder. Her eyes were still heavy from sleep, but he could see the determination to stay away sparking in the crystal blue orbs. In the weeks after giving birth to Jaycee, he had been hesitant to touch her. Her body had endured so much trauma in a short period, and Dr. Lee had warned her repeatedly not to take on too much too quickly. She had eyed Jason hungrily at the time and whined to her obstetrician that it was nearly impossible to keep her hands off of him. However, thanks to repeated reminders from Jason, they had managed to keep things low key. "How long have I been out?"

"Only an hour or so," he answered just as Jaycee started to wake from her unexpected nap. He moved from the couch immediately and lifted the little girl from her bassinet. His new favorite thing in the world was rocking her and telling her stories about when he had first met her mother. He even allowed himself to hum to her when she was at her fussiest, something not even Carly had heard him do. From the first time he had held the little girl at the cabin, he had instantly fallen in love. "You want to see your mommy, huh?"

Jason transitioned the baby into Carly's arms before heading upstairs to check on the boys. He found a sprawled-out Morgan punching maniacally onto the controller of his favorite video game while Michael laughed as his character zoomed by on the screen. It had been a long time since he had seen Michael look and act like a normal teenager. The young man's eyes had been so haunted as of late, between losing a year of his life and dealing with dreams he couldn't explain and feeling the guilt of killing another human being. Jason hated that Michael would walk around with the secret of Claudia's death for the rest of his life, but both Carly and he couldn't imagine putting him through the alternative.

"Hey, guys, your mom is awake," he announced, leaning casually against the door jamb. Michael paused the video game before glancing over his shoulder to regard Jason. "I was thinking that maybe we could all go to Kelly's for dinner. She could use some time out of the house."

"Fine, whatever," Morgan muttered impatiently before starting up the game again. Jason figured if the biggest thing Morgan had to worry about was his video game, the kid hadn't been affected too adversely by everything. "Just call us when it's time to go."

Michael dropped his controller on the bed as Morgan returned to racing the animated race car on the vivid flat screen. Pulling the door shut behind him, he motioned for Jason to follow him down the hallway into his room. There were only four bedrooms on the main level of the house, which Carly had designated as the kids' wing. Michael had chosen the one furthest away from the staircase, with Morgan and Jaycee situated closer to the steps. The last remaining bedroom was still empty. Jason knew that Carly hoped that it would one day be home to their own child. Dr. Lee kept telling her that she shouldn't plan for any more children, but Jason knew better than to tell Carly not to do anything.

"So I've been thinking about what you asked last night…"

Jason's mind flashed back to the night before. It had been a long time since he had been nervous about anything, probably since the last time he was on trial. However, unlike that case, he felt like his life actually hinged on asking this simple question. "I know that my mom is going to say yes. She already has in a way. I talked to Morgan. We both love you, Jason. I know you didn't really ask our permission to propose to Mom, you don't have to. I just wanted you to know that we would be okay with it."

A small swarm of butterflies fluttered in the pit of Jason's stomach. He and Carly had talked about getting married openly months ago when he had first found his way back to her. He had planned for an entire life with her and had even asked the question. However, it was only after talking to the boys that he felt like this could finally be over. "Thank you," he offered simply. "I was actually thinking about asking at dinner. Spinelli and Maxie are going to come, too."

"Cool, it'll be nice to have the whole family there," Michael grinned, patting Jason on the shoulder comfortingly. Even he could read the nerves radiating off of Jason's body. The otherwise cool mobster was actually terrified of his mother's rejection. If people could only see him now, they would see the man that Michael and Morgan had gotten to know their entire lives. "I'm gonna go finish up that came with Morgan. We'll be down when we're done."

Jason was halfway down the stairs when his cell phone rang. He glanced at Sonny's number before sending him directly to voice mail. He'd just reached the landing when his phone started to blare again. This time it was Spinelli's name dancing around the screen. "Where are you guys at? You were supposed to be here a half-hour ago."

Spinelli started in on some long, drawn-out story that ended up meaning that Maxie's meeting ran over at the magazine and that they would meet them at the family diner. The computer hacker and his stylish blonde counterpart had been spending a lot of time at the Morgan household. Jason had made sure to set up a full apartment downstairs for Spinelli so that he could come and go as he wished. However, more often than not, the two would have dinner with the rest of the family upstairs in the dining room. Carly and Maxie had even made a shopping date in a few weeks. Even if he didn't have the patience to deal with the blonde on his own, Jason appreciated Maxie's place in his life. She was good for Spinelli and, in her own way, good for their family.

"Hey, Carly," he called as he came into the living room. He wasn't at all surprised to find her curled up on the couch again, a sleeping Jaycee resting against her chest. Her head was tilted against the back of the sofa, with her golden tendrils spilling over the side of the dark red suede. He cupped her cheek gently to wake her up. "Spinelli and Maxie are just going to meet us for dinner."

She smiled at him sleepily before changing Jaycee over to her open arm. Carly patted the cushion beside her in an invitation for Jason to join her in on the couch. "I know what you were doing up there," she confessed. "I could hear you. You really should keep the door shut, you know? Michael's voice tends to carry."

He had to laugh at her. If he knew Carly at all – and he expected that he knew her quite well – she had likely tried her best to overhear the conversation on purpose. "Oh, really?"

"You know I'm going to say yes, right?"

"You think I would ask if I wasn't sure?" he arched his eyebrow at her before sliding his arm around her shoulders. They both stopped talking for a moment to stare down at Jaycee. "I'm going to make you as happy as you've made me."

She sighed happily. "You do that every day, Jase."

"It's not enough," he retorted, and it wasn't. It could never be enough. She had given him her children, her family, her heart, her life. All he could bring to the table was a strange computer hacker, a gaggle of bodyguards, a motorcycle and a heart of his own. It didn't seem like much to him in comparison, but she seemed to think it was everything. "I'm not going to ask you yet, anyhow. I want the boys and Jaycee there, Spinelli and Maxie too. I want our family to share this moment with us."

"Good, me too," she decided. She could hear the boys trampling down the stairs as she turned to kiss Jason fully. Morgan and Michael groaned in unison when they came into the living room. "Are you both dressed for dinner?"

"Yeah," Michael grunted as he collapsed in an armchair. He leaned forward and readjusted Jaycee's blanket. Both the boys were so attentive toward their little sister. "Where's Spinelli?"

"Maxie had a late meeting, they're meeting us there," Jason answered. "Morgan, can you run out to the SUV and get your sister's carrier? I'm sure that Mike would love to see his granddaughter before dinner starts." While she wasn't officially Mike's grandchild, he had adopted her immediately. With both her biological grandfathers gone, Carly was glad to have him step into the role. "Michael, can you help him?"

The boys raced toward the garage to retrieve the carrier, giving Jason one last moment alone with her. He patted his jeans pocket to make sure the box was still there. He had snuck the rings he had given to her years before from her private safe to have them updated. "Do you need help up?"

"Just a cheap attempt to feel me up, huh, Jase?" she smirked. "Take her."

Carly disappeared into the other room to freshen her makeup. She could hear Jason talking to the boys, each of them taking turns fawning over Jaycee. They didn't notice her when she came back into the room. She watched them for a moment, thinking proudly about how beautiful her family had turned out. She had wanted to take it back all those weeks ago, to make everything different than it had been. Now, only in hindsight, she realized that she didn't want to take any of it back. Given the chance, she would do everything exactly as she had all over again.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hold still, Morgan," Carly commanded.

"Maxie, can you take Jaycee?" Jason asked.

"Morgan, I mean it, hold still!" Carly exclaimed.

"Mom, I've told you how lame this is, right?" Michael complained.

"Jase, could you try helping me here a little bit by smiling?" Carly asked.

"Here, let me take The Angelic One, Maxamista," Spinelli offered

"I am not going to tell you again, Morgan, hold still." Carly threatened.

The photographer smiled patiently behind the camera as he watched the family arrange and rearrange itself for the tenth time. Jason looked as uncomfortable and awkward as he usually did any time a camera lens was pointed his way. Carly was alternating listening to Michael whine and steady a bouncy Morgan in front of her. Maxie was smoothing her shirt back down from where Jaycee had pulled a bow loose, while Spinelli was doing his best to appease the fussy baby. All in all, it was a disaster. Yet, in spite of all that, most of the clan was smiling. Even Jason had let the tiniest hint of a grin ghost across his lips when Jaycee has slobbered on Maxie's chartreuse silk blouse.

Carly had insisted that they get their pictures taken to accompany the wedding invitations. It was going to be a small and intimate affair for the actual ceremony, but she had planned a huge party for the reception. Jason wasn't exactly thrilled about sharing their day with a whole lot of nameless faces and social obligations, but between his business and Carly's position at the hotel, she had almost convinced him that it was a necessary evil. Besides, she had agreed to the small ceremony that he had wanted and a completely private honeymoon devoid of all their children, even Jaycee. Jason made a mental reminder to send Bobbie a huge thank-you basket for agreeing to watch the kids, along with smaller tokens for Spinelli and Maxie for helping her out.

"Come on, guys, I just need one good family picture and then we can go home and have pizza," Carly negotiated as the photographer began to tap his foot. They had been at this for twenty minutes, each take ruined by one thing or another. First, Jason had forgotten to take his gun out of his waistband, and the glint of the shiny silver barrel had caught the camera. Then, Morgan had refused to sit on his mother's lap because he wasn't a baby anymore. Jaycee didn't seem to want anyone that wasn't Maxie at the moment, and Michael was a teenager who didn't see anything remotely cool about taking part in a family picture."

"Alright, that's it," Jason snapped into action. He stepped in front of his family and planted his hands firmly at his sides. "Maxie, suck it up and hold Jaycee. For some reason, that baby likes you, and I need one shot with her looking angelic. Morgan, your mom has told you to stand still more than once so just do it. I get that this isn't your idea of fun, Michael, but deal with it. Fix your hair, Spinelli. I hate this more than any of you, but if I can stand here and grit my teeth for one shot, so can you." He eyed each of the kids before shifting his gaze to Carly's. An awe-inspired smile lit her face. Stepping back behind her and laying his arm around her shoulder, he looked up at the photographer and nodded. "Take the damn picture."

The photographer snapped a quick succession of shots before checking the monitor. Once he was adequately satisfied, he dismissed the Morgan clan with a promise to call Carly as soon as the prints were ready to be picked up. They had only been engaged for three weeks, but Jason was already ready to get the wedding over. It seemed that there was always one decision or another to be made for the ceremony or the reception. He tried his best to care about the tiny details that seemed to matter so much to Carly, but it was hard to feign interest in the color of ribbon on the invitations or where to seat the Quartermaines or which kind of champagne to have at the reception. He had done well enough with the big decisions, but he couldn't fake it enough to care about those other things, not even for Carly.

"You look exhausted," she whispered softly as she leaned against him in front of the photography studio, waiting idly while Milo went to get the car. Morgan and Michael were kicking a rock back and forth in a makeshift soccer game, while Spinelli and Maxie made faces at Jaycee in the reflection of a storefront window. Carly snaked her hand down to clutch Jason's tightly. She sometimes feared that he would feel like a caged animal with all this domesticity. "What do you say I talk Spinelli, Maxie and Michael into watching Morgan and Jaycee tonight? You look like you could use a night out."

Jason groaned even thinking about going out. He'd always been a homebody and had never really enjoyed the social aspect that Carly seemed to covet. "You promised the kids pizza."

"And the kids are going to get pizza," she assured him. "In fact, so are you. I was thinking that we could pick up a pizza on our way to Jake's and go up to our old room with a few beers. We've barely had any time alone since we got engaged. I don't know about you, but I could really go for a few hours wrapped up in your arms with some empty calories and good music."

He groaned again, this time in eager anticipation. Jason leaned down and kissed her briefly, eliciting the standard groan from Morgan nearby. Carly smiled against his lips. "Yeah, I think that sounds like the best idea you've ever had."

"And you say that I never come up with any good plans..."

It took two hours to get the kids settled, the pizzas ordered, Jaycee fed and Maxie placated before Carly and Jason could escape out of the house. Milo and Max had been assigned to the kids that week, so they would be around in case anything was to go wrong. Only Max knew where they were headed as to not be disturbed. By the time they had finally left alone in Jason's dark SUV, he was worried that she would be too exhausted to even make it up the back stairs at Jake's. However, he saw a renewed light in her eyes when he appeared with a pizza and cheesy snacks after a brief stop at the tiny Italian place on Brewer Street.

"Cheesy snacks, my hero," she lamented, leaning across the seat to kiss Jason's cheek. He smiled affectionately at her as he pulled the car back onto the street and reached for her hand. "So, Jax is going to take Jaycee next weekend when his mother is in town. Sonny has the boys, and Maxie is going with Spinelli to Tennessee to visit his grandmother."

He looked at her with sly eyes as they stopped at a red light. Two blissful days alone with Carly sounded like heaven and a perfect way to practice for their honeymoon. "So, does that mean Dr. Lee finally gave you the go ahead?"

"All systems are a go as of next weekend," she confirmed with a saucy wink. She hated not being with Jason in the most intimate of ways, but he refused have sex with her until she had been officially cleared by her doctor. She loved how much he wanted to protect her, but it was still infuriating to have something that delicious next to you every night without being able to have a taste. "I mean, we could cheat a little and test the waters tonight..."

"Not gonna happen, Carly," he shook his head. He hadn't been in a room above Jake's a single time with Carly without wanting to ravage her completely, and he knew that tonight would be no different. However, he could wait the required five days to be with her again if it meant keeping her healthy. "We are going to eat pizza, drink beer and play some pool. I might even let you kiss me if you're lucky."

Flashes of a sweaty makeout session against a pool table flashed in Carly's mind. She could hardly imagine rutting against her like a desperate adolescent would be enough for Jason. "Maybe we should just stick to the bar. I'm not sure that I can resist," she teased., trailing her fingers lightly up his arm as she leaned over to kiss the shell of his ear. Her voice was low and sultry, sending a visible chill through Jason's body. "My mind is filled with all the dirty little things I want to do to you."

Jason slammed on the breaks at a red light just in the nick of time. His breath was ragged, his body wanting. "Sit in your seat and don't say another word until we get there," he implored. "I don't want to kill us on the way just because you're trying to kill me."

Carly grinned proudly as she sat back in her seat. She just needed to know that she could still shake Jason to his very core, bringing out his most natural urges despite his reputation as a reserved man. "Sorry," she chirped innocently. "Just trying to make conversation."

"Uh huh," he muttered impatiently, pressing down on the pedal hard enough to send the vehicle surging forward. A few more turns and he was pulling into a spot behind the bar. There was a main entrance on the street that most of the public used, but Jason grabbed Carly's wrist and dragged her through the back entrance that only the regulars knew about. He only nodded slightly at Coleman before leading Carly up the stairs and slamming the rickety door shut on the last room on the left. Carly found herself pressed against the wall in the next second, Jason's hands grasping desperately at the hem of her shirt as he stole her very breath with a toe-curling kiss.

"Oh, my goodness," Carly managed as she raked her fingers through Jason's hair. He lifted her body so that her legs were wrapped around his waist without breaking the kiss, fully satisfying her need to touch him. Jason tore away from her lips and rained kisses down her throat.

Once he was sure that she was completely gone, Jason carried her over to the bed in the corner and deposited her on the mattress. She leaned back on her hands as she grinned up at him, watching hungrily as he tore his shirt away and threw it across the room. His fingers worked nimbly over the row of buttons on her white shirt before pushing it off her shoulders. Her hands found their way to his jeans while he managed to pull off her skirt and panties in one swift move. A few moments later, they were both completely bare, and Jason was crawling up the mattress toward her.

Carly had expected Jason to flatten her to the mattress in another soul-shattering kiss, but instead, she ended up turned on her side with him pressed behind her. He pulled the sheet up over their body and laid a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. "What the hell?" she whispered.

"I told you that I wasn't going to have sex with you until Dr. Lee said it was okay," he reminded her, securing his arm around her waist. "For now, you'll just have to settle for sleeping with me."

"This is not what I had in mind when I set out to sleep with you tonight."

"So maybe I was right, huh?" he teased. "Maybe your plans really don't work."

She shot him a displeased look over her shoulder but snuggled into his embrace. Their pizza and snacks were left untouched in the corner, but Carly really didn't mind. She was suddenly exhausted and just wanted to sleep with Jason like this. She had that same satiated feeling she would so often get in her early twenties when she and Jason were just starting out. He would leave her so completely exhausted after their spirited rounds above Jake's, always resulting in the deepest sleep she had ever known. She opened her mouth to say something when she felt Jason's breath against her neck. Syncing her exhale with his, she followed him into sleep. There would always be next weekend.


	7. Chapter 7

The wedding had come and gone. Jason and Carly Morgan were officially married, something thirteen years in the making and twelve years and eleven months too late in Carly's opinion. Jason had taken to married life immediately, hoping that third time would be the char, for him and knowing that this was the forever kind of love. More importantly, Michael and Morgan had taken to their new family immediately as well, putting the past two years of hardships behind them. With Jason in their house, Michale got to be a fairly average seventeen-year-old high school senior worried about applying for college and impressing the cute brunette in his biology class. Morgan was focused on the spring baseball season and the promised trip to spring training that Sonny had given him as an early Christmas gift.

"Hey, Carly, do you have any more of that garlic toast in the freezer? I think we're going to make it with dinner," Maxie asked as she came into the living room from the kitchen. Morgan was busy helping her make dinner for the rest of the family, something that the two of them now did once a week. Jason had gotten used to having the young blonde around and she had easily become a permanent fixture around the Morgan household, much like she had the penthouse. "Aw, Jaycee is up! Why didn't you tell me? I got the cutest little cashmere sleeper for her when I was in Manhattan on Tuesday."

Carly smiled appreciatively at the young style icon before allowing Maxie to take Jaycee into her arms. "Between you and Jason, this little girls is going to be absolutely spoiled rotten," Carly grinned.

"Yeah, because you clearly don't buy her something every single time you set foot in a store," Jason teased as he stepped off the landing and into the living room. He kissed the top of Carly's head before nodding in greeting at Maxie. "Spinelli is up there helping Michael set up that new system we got him. I tried to help, but apparently I'm not much help."

The two blondes shrugged at him in perfect unison, not caring one way or the other about what was going on upstairs with the computers. Carly barely knew how to work her BlackBerry, and Maxie had decided a long time ago that she had no reason to learn to use a computer as long as Spinelli was around to help her. "I'm going to take Jaycee in here to cook with us," Maxie declared, not waiting for permission before disappearing into the kitchen.

"I keep thinking that she is going to tell Spinelli that she wants one, kind of like when she saw the dog that Lucky just got for the boys," Carly grinned. "Speaking of which, my dear cousin agreed to a little play date this weekend. I thought that it might be a nice way for you to get to spend some time with Jake."

Jason grinned at his wife appreciatively. He knew that he had a lot to be thankful for, and all of that started with her. Once Carly had agreed to marry him, he had started the long process of removing himself from the organization. He would never completely leave that life behind, especially not with two of the Corinthos heirs under his roof. However, he was as uninvolved as he could possibly be, and thanks to that choice, Elizabeth and Lucky had agreed to let him spend supervised time with Jake. They were still reluctant to let too many people know, for fear of past enemies making themselves known. The Quartermaines still weren't any the wiser, and Carly had made the very difficult choice of hiding it from the boys. They had spoken at length about the decision, but she couldn't ask Michael and Morgan to keep the secret.

"Have I told you today how much I love you?"

She pretended to think before nodding her head confidently. "I think that you might have mentioned it once or twice or a dozen times," she smiled. "Speaking of family, well kinda, Lucas is going to be in town next week to visit. I thought I might invite everyone out to the house for a big dinner. I was wondering how you would feel about asking Edward and Monica. I know that your mom would love to see the boys, and Edward hasn't been too bad the last few times we saw him."

Jason could feel the stress already boiling up in the pit of his stomach, a feeling he knew would never go away. Much like loving Carly, stressing about the Quartermaines was an inherent reaction for him. However, he had resolved that he was going to make more of an effort to let his family in. Jason was about all that Monica had left, and she deserved to know Michael. She treated Morgan just like she was her own grandson, and she hadn't really gotten to spend much time with Jaycee yet.

"I guess that might be okay."

Carly didn't push it because she knew that was about as close to an agreement as she was going to get. Jason had taken great strides to live up to all the promises he had made to her when she had first taken it back all those months ago. "I won't even cook if it'll make you happy."

"Thanks," he chuckled affectionately before hearing Maxie calling everyone to the dinner table.

An hour later, with their tummies full and their heart warms, the Morgan-Corinthos-Spinelli-Jacks-Jones family found themselves sprawled out in front of the television with one of Carly's favorite old movies playing on the big screen. Carly was spread out over the couch, her head in Jason's lap and a sleeping Jaycee resting on her stomach. Jason's fingers were buried in her blonde locks, playing idly with her curls while watching the old film. Spinelli and Maxie had taken up together on the love seat, her head on his shoulder and his hand resting on her thigh. They were cozy under the blanket and completely at peace to be so domestic on a Saturday evening. Morgan was asleep on the rug just in front of Carly, his mess of dark hair barely visible from the edge of his Yankees sleeping bag. Michael was sprawled over the arm of the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace, one eye on the screen and the other on his iPhone.

A slow smile spread over Jason's face as he looked around the living room at his family. Just six months, he had been alone with only Spinelli in the "Unfortunately Pink Bedroom" and Maxie as an unwelcome house guest. He had been content to be play godfather and best friend to his wife and their children. Now, he couldn't imagine ever going back.

"Jason, you're going with me to pitching practice tomorrow, right?" Morgan asked suddenly, looking up from the movie only long enough to ask the question. Jason nodded silently with a soft, affectionate smile. "Cool, you're not as embarrassing as Mom."

"God, you should have seen her when I played soccer," Michael groaned knowingly. Carly had never done anything halfway, especially when it came to supporting her kids. "I swear, none of the coaches wanted to have me on their team because they were afraid she would get us a technical call for fighting with the refs."

"C'mon, I wasn't that bad..."

"Actually, Carly, I think I remember getting kicked out of the park when Michael was in third grade and that kid from the other team pushed him down."

"Well, the ref was blind. He totally should have called a penalty."

"See," Michael pointed out, exchanging a satisfied smile with his younger brother.

Maxie grimaced as she looked between Michael and Morgan. "At least your mom bothered to show up to your soccer games," she reminded them. Her own mother hadn't managed to see any of her dance recitals, art shows or tennis matches.

"You should listen to her," Carly told them. "You're lucky to have a mom like me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Michael mumbled agreeably. "Most of the time, we are lucky."

The boys bickered playfully with their mother for a few more moments until Jaycee started to stir. It wasn't too long before her powerful set of lungs were causing wails that easily drowned out the movie. Carly started to sit up to tend to her daughter, but Jason simply shifted her out of her lap before lifting the little girl into his arms. Jaycee loved to walk and was appeased most of the time by bright lights. Jason made his way to the small porch off the kitchen, staying just inside the door but still allowing Jaycee to look over the harbor.

The room settled back down for a few minutes before Spinelli excused himself and wandered off after Jason. Michael's cell phone rang, and he disappeared upstairs to talk to one of his friends about their weekend plans. Morgan was nearly asleep, so Carly sent him upstairs to bed. Only Maxie and Carly were left in the living room.

"Would you look at them?" Maxie mused softly, moving off the love seat and over to the sofa to sit next to Carly. They both gazed over at the back porch, where Jason and Spinelli stood side by side, their voices low as they fussed over Jaycee. "I never thought that I would see Jason like that."

"Despite what anyone says about my husband, he is a natural-born father. People always thought that I was crazy for choosing him over A.J. and Tony to be Michael's father, but they didn't see what I saw. They never saw Jason in the middle of the night, feeding Michael in his arms and reading travel books. They didn't see the way my son's eyes lit up whenever he heard Jason's voice or how Jase just knew instinctively what Michael needed."

Looking at him now, Maxie could easily see all those things that Carly had seen a long time ago. It was a lot like how she was not only able to see the amazing man Spinelli already was but also the incredible man he was going to be. "We're lucky, huh?"

Carly nodded. "Oh, yeah," she agreed. "The luckiest girls in the entire world."

Meanwhile, on the porch, Spinelli was readjusting Jaycee's blanket while asking his mentor for advice. "Stone Cold, I know that I came to you for advisement on this issue many months ago, but I feel that it is time to revisit the subject," he proposed. "As my mentor is well aware, the lovely Maxamista and I have been spending all of our time together as of late. Her career is thriving, and my P.I. business with the Fair Samantha is doing well."

"Yeah, life is good, Spinelli," Jason dismissively. He just wanted the hacker to get to the point.

"I want to propose again."

Jason had tried to talk his young friend out of asking for Maxie's hand marriage the last time around, bu this time, all his reasons just didn't seem to stand up. "Congratulations, Spinelli."

Spinelli turned around and leaned against the door, looking through the window at his lovely counterpart and the Valkyrie. "I need to thank you, Stone Cold."

"For?"

"My family," he smiled appreciatively. "Our family."

He could have said that thanks weren't necessary, but he understood where Spinelli was coming from. "Thank you for being a part of it," he retorted as he turned around to look at his wife. Damn, she was still the most beautiful thing in any room. "Wow, I still can't believe she is mine, that this is mine."

Spinelli nodded as Jaycee cooed softly and fisted Jason's black tee in her tiny fist. "Tell me about it. Maxamista was my greatest dream. Things like her don't happen to guys like me."

"I used to think that too," Jason agreed, remembering all those times that he had believed that he didn't deserve a like this. He still woke up some mornings wondering if karma was going to bite him in the ass one day and take it all back.

Carly popped her head out the door. "Want to help me put her down?"

"Yeah," Jason replied happily, pausing to let Spinelli kiss her forehead gently before following his wife into the house.

Spinelli lagged behind, watching them as they disappeared upstairs. Maxie came outside a moment later with a blanket around her shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"Imagining us with a life of our own like this."

"Yeah?" Maxie asked with a soft smile. There was a time, not too long ago, where that would have scared the hell out of her now. Now it only gave her something to look forward to. "I think I could do that."


	8. Chapter 8

"Alright, alright, I take it back."

It was two days before Christmas, just forty-eight hours before their otherwise calm and pristine living room would turn into a mountain of wrapping paper, too many minutes until Jason would get to see his wife's face light up as she watched her children. The past few months had passed in a blur, with the wedding and Jaycee growing bigger and everything else that life had thrown their way. Few people had truly believed that Jason would be able to walk away from everything, but he had managed to make himself a mostly legitimate business man since tying the knot with Carly over the fall. Sonny still ran their less-than-legal ventures, with Jason heading the coffee business and overseeing the new upscale Italian restaurant they'd opened in October.

"Carly, you told me that you didn't want anything for Christmas other than for our family to be together," he reminded his wife patiently. She was balancing Jaycee on one hip while she made final touches on the tree. It was the biggest one that Jason had ever seen, but Carly had insisted on making everything overly grand for their first official Christmas as a family. She'd even tried to convince everyone to get matching pajamas for that morning, but Jason had to draw the line somewhere. He just couldn't see himself in footed pajamas with dancing snowmen and grinning reindeer emblazoned across the chest.

She came over and shifted Jaycee into his arms so that she could rehang the stockings. "Jase, come on, we both know that doesn't mean a thing. I tell you stuff all the time that I don't really mean," she rolled her eyes, knowing full well that he knew this very fact about her. She had told Spinelli and Maxie the same thing, but yet, there were still a pair of beautifully wrapped gifts waiting for her under the tree.

"You told me that having Lucas come home to spend Christmas with us was the only gift that you wanted," he retorted. She had barely seen her brother since college started. He hadn't even been able to make it back to Port Charles for their wedding because of some major soccer tournament. Carly had wanted him to walk her down the aisle since the boys were standing up with Jason. She had surprised everyone by asking Edward instead. "I even agreed to go over to the Quartermaines for brunch on Christmas day. I have said yes to all of your Christmas plans in lieu of buying you a gift. Hush up and be grateful."

Carly was about to snap back at him when she saw the teasing glint in his blue eyes. "You already got me something, didn't you?"

"What do you think, Carly? Of course I got you a gift," he shook his head. "Don't you know me at all? Better than that, don't you think I know you? The last thing I want to deal with on Christmas is your little quivering lip when you pout because I didn't get you anything." He peeled himself off the couch and took Jaycee over to settle her in her swing before coming over to the tree. "In fact, I got you a few presents, and if you're nice, I might let you open one early."

"What about us?" Michael called from the doorway. He and Morgan had been out finishing their last-minute shopping with Maxie and Spinelli all afternoon. The blonde peaked her head over Michael's shoulder hopefully. She had been wanting to tackle the oversized box underneath the tree from her from Jason. She had tried to get details from both Carly and Spinelli, but neither of them had any clue what the mobster had surprisingly bought for the pixie.

"Yeah, if Mom gets to open one early, we should get to open one too!" Morgan declared as he bound into the room after his brother. He stopped to hug Carly briefly before sliding across the floor on his knees toward the tree.

"Oh, you think so, huh?" Carly asked, her fist planted firmly on her hip. "I don't know, Jase, what do you think?"

He looked at the boys' eager faces and grinned as Maxie shook her head eagerly. Only Spinelli didn't seem to care if they opened gifts two days before Christmas. He was too busy typing away on his laptop after being out of the house all day. "I mean, I guess we could let them each pick one gift to open," he pretended to think. The truth was that he would have let them open a present two weeks ago if it hadn't been for Carly. He still didn't quite get or care about the formality of the holiday and its traditions. He just cared about seeing his family happy. For Carly, that meant waiting until she couldn't hold out any longer. He was just around to help her keep up that resolve. "I'll tell you what, we will each open one gift, and we'll go in order from youngest to oldest. Morgan, can you pick out a gift for your sister?"

Carly glared at her husband's devious plan to make her wait just a little longer before she could open her gift. "Thanks, honey," she smiled at Morgan sweetly before returning her unconvincing glare to Jason. Morgan had picked a small box for Jaycee, probably because it was the one he had just bought for her at the mall. Carly tore away the bright red paper to find a set of books. "Morgan, these will be perfect for you guys to read to Jaycee. She'll love them."

"You think?" he asked without really caring, his eye scanning the tree for what he wanted to open.

"Alright, Morgan, dig in," Jason permitted.

The boy clapped as he jumped to his feet, walking carefully around the tree to find just the right one. He finally settled on a small flat, rectangular package that he was fairly sure was the new video game he'd been asking for since September. "This one," he announced, holding it up for his family to see. Carly tried to suppress her smile and nodded as he settled back on the floor with the package in his lap. He tore the wrapping paper away easily to find a slim box beneath. He looked up at his mother but she only shrugged without offering any hint. His face fell the minute he tore the lid away. "Socks?"

"Your mom told me you really needed some new ones for church," Maxie smiled sweetly. The rest of the room burst into giggles and chuckles as Morgan showed off his new dress socks. While he might have been disappointed, her son played it up. He knew that the game was probably still waiting for him beneath the tree. He could wait a couple more days.

"Okay, my turn," Michael spoke up. "Morgan, why don't you pick one out for me?" Morgan reached under the tree and pulled out a small square package. The truth was that Michael didn't care much about opening presents. After the year he had, getting to have the holiday at all with his family was gift enough. It was a lot more than he had expected when he'd woken up in the spring. It was more than any of them had hoped for really. "Thanks, Spinelli, I've been wanting this forever." Michael turned the stack of albums over to look at the track titles. He'd just started to get into the Beatles, and this box set had been at the top of his wish list.

"Yeah, yeah, great!" Maxie muttered as she started to scamper toward the tree. Jason stepped in her way at the last minute. "Hey, what are you doing? It's my turn."

"You're two weeks older than Spinelli," he reminded her before pointing at the sofa. "Sit."

Spinelli looked up from his computer and laughed at his girlfriend's disappointed glare toward Stone Cold. "That's okay, really, I can wait."

"Nope, everyone is opening one," Carly countered as she found one of the ones she'd picked out for him. "Here, this one is just from me." Even Jason didn't know what she had picked out especially for Spinelli. She'd bought almost everything on his list, but she had wanted at least a few surprises for everyone. Spinelli had definitely challenged her shopping skills, but in the end, she had settled on exactly the perfect gift. " I really hope that you like it."

"I'm sure that I will," he smiled at her kindly. Unlike her boys, Spinelli was one of those meticulous openers who appreciated how much time everyone took to make the presents beautiful. He was a nice counter to Maxie's impatience, much like Jason was for Carly. "Oh, Valkyrie, this is beautiful." Carly smiled down at him affectionately as he held up the leather satchel for everyone to see. His laptop bag was well worn, so she had gotten a custom leather bag sent from Italy a few weeks ago, complete with his initials. Spinelli ran his hand over the buttery leather appreciatively. "Really, it's perfect for the Jackyl's most prized possession."

"Good, I'm glad you like it," she replied as she came over to the mantle where Jason was standing. He wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and kissed the top of her head while the kids and Maxie looked at the bag with Spinelli.

"You did good," he whispered. "Thanks for that."

She shrugged silently as Maxie stood back up again. She looked at Jason hopefully. "My turn?"

"Your turn," Jason confirmed with a firm nod.

Maxie darted quickly toward the large gift from Jason. She sat it on the living room, falling to the floor beside it like a little kid with her legs tucked beneath her. She ripped through the paper as eagerly as Morgan had, sending shreds of Santa Claus wrap all around her. "Oh. My. God." Her punctuated declaration brought a grin to Jason's face. "How did you...?" He had never heard her speechless before. She held up the beautiful custom-made handbag from her favorite boutique designer in New York. Lulu had helped with that one. "Jason, it's amazing."

He really had no way of telling if the purse was "amazing" as Maxie had deemed it, but Lulu had assured him that she would love it when they'd gone to Manhattan to pick it up last week. Jason knew that he gave the blonde a hard time, but he really did care a lot about her. He had wanted to get her a Christmas gift that would show her that.

"You're welcome."

Carly forgot about opening her own gift briefly to go over and look at the purse with Maxie. She was equally astonished by Jason's gift. "When did you...?" she asked her husband.

"A man has his secrets."

The next few minutes were lost as the girls got wrapped up in their mutual appreciation for fashion and high-end design. Jason could see that his gift to Maxie had had its intended impact. The boys didn't really seem to care and had started their own kind of game with the balls of wrapping paper littering the floor. Spinelli had abandoned his laptop in favor of Jaycee, balancing the little girl on his knee while he made faces at her.

"While that really is a beautiful gift, it's my turn."

Jason tore his gaze on Spinelli and Jaycee to look into his wife's excited blue eyes. She was bouncing on her feet as she stared up at him. "I want to open one from you."

"Are you sure?"

"What do you think?" she asked, holding out her hand. Jason laughed as he bent beneath the tree to find the smallest package. While Lulu had been with him when he had picked it up, this gift was all Jason. "Thank you."

"Merry Christmas, Carly," he whispered, kissing her softly on the cheek.

She slowly pulled off the white satin ribbon before peeling away the green foil wrapping to find a small velvet box. "You shouldn't have," she smiled unnecessarily. She'd known it was jewelry from its size. She opened the box to find a sterling silver engraved locket, the exact one she had pointed out in a Tiffany catalog months ago. "Oh, Jase." The words came out as a mere breath, barely audible.

"Open it."

The locket opened out into four different hearts, each with its own photograph. There was a tiny one of the kids, a recent shot that Jason must've taken at the park this fall. There was one of Maxie and Spinelli in front of the pool, their faces pressed together closely in the summer sun. The other two slots were dedicated to Carly and Jason. There was an old photograph from years ago. Carly laughed as she traced over the younger versions of them at Jake's. The other was their wedding photo. It was perfect. "It's perfect."

"Let me," he said softly. Carly lifted her hair away so that Jason could clasp the locket around her neck. He kissed her nape gently before turning her around in his arms. "I love you."

"Love you, too," she managed just before he covered her mouth with his. "So, so much."

"Hey, Jason still hasn't opened anything," Maxie realized.

"Oh, I know exactly what he should open!" Michael decided. He looked over at his mother for permission. She nodded her silent ascent as Morgan retrieved the slim package. Michael took his sister from Spinelli and came over to sit on the couch next to Jason with Morgan.

It took only a few moments before Jason's face lit up in astonishment. He looked up at Carly before looking at each of the children. "This makes it official," Michael said. "It makes you our dad, too."

While Carly could have and never would again ask Sonny to give up his paternal rights, she had asked him to agree to let Jason co-adopt the boys. It just meant that if anything happened to either one of them, he would be their father. There was no one else they would want raising the boys if that was to happen. It had taken a lot more to convince Jax, but as long as Jane was named the co-guardian, he had finally agreed.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Carly assured him. He mouthed his thanks to her before hugging Morgan and Michael. He had always loved her children as his own, and she knew that they didn't need a piece of paper to make it official. It had just felt right. Jason kept looking down at the framed adoption certificates in disbelief. It still didn't seem real to him.

"Here that, little girl, you're stuck with me," he cooed softly to Jaycee.

"Carly, that's amazing," Maxie said softly as she watched Jason with the children, _his_ children.

"No," she shook her head. "It's right." She had never been happier in her life. "It's finally right."

FIN.


End file.
